Conversations with Critters
Walk with the animals. Talk with the animals. And the highly anticipated release of Chapter 10 of The Case of the Jumping Gene!
Today Critters, we are pleased to bring you the highly anticipated release of Chapter 10 of The Case of the Jumping Gene! Brought to you in the annals of time by the J Kitten, Sleuth & Purveyor of Bright Shiny Objects Detective Agency!
Previously! Our intrepid Detectives confronted the rumble and the tumble of a heavy piece of vehicular machinery ready to plow them down in the snow! In an incredible display of teamwork, this menacing adversary was stopped in their tracks and unmasked. Yet. A new problemo must be solved.
Now! The plot begs of us to keep an open and free thinking mind, the story seeks to reverse the damage done by a dastardly deed.
Please! Sit back and make yourselves comfy and welcome our Core Community Critters, Jasper Kitten, Chris, and Jojo in excellent cleansing critter commentary and conversation!
Jasper: Hello and welcome, Critters! Please, we must warn you: do not attempt to operate any heavy vehicular machinery while reading this Chapter. The End.
Chris: Thank you for this conversation open open opener, Jasper Kitten. Full stop.
Jojo: Ditto. Friends, this bears repeating, so let’s keep an open mind and read all about it!
THE CASE OF THE JUMPING GENE
BOOK 3 FROM THE J KITTEN, SLEUTH & PURVEYOR OF BRIGHT SHINY OBJECTS DETECTIVE AGENCY
BY JASPER KITTEN, CHRIS, JOJO AND STAR IN HEAVEN FUREVER AND EVER
DEDICATED IN LUVLUVLUVING MEMORY OF STAR
CHAPTER 10
RINSE REPEAT
In preparation for the deprogramming of the mind control which had brainwashed Rufus Sub One Hundred, Jasper Kitten made a trial run with the pocket watch. He allowed it to swing on the chain in a slow and steady rhythm, easy to track with the eye, back and forth, back and forth. He gave a satisfied nod, his brow furrowed, his Orange stripes ready and set, the full weight of his investigative experience with time pieces invaluable in the present moment.
Star and Jojo assisted with the comfortable, safe set up for the hypnosis session. They located a quiet recess in the Lava Caves, away from the Ginormous Group who had fallen fast asleep, unfazed by the previous rumble and tumble from outside, soft purrs surrounding them. The Canine Unit organized a soft bed and gave the paws up signal to Jasper Kitten. He padded over to them.
“Gosh, Jasper Kitten, this looks like an appropriate place to deprogram Rufus Sub One Hundred from being brainwashed,” surmised Star, adjusting her progressive lenses.
“Thank you, Star,” agreed Jasper Kitten. “We have good but nevertheless low lighting in this location and the stream of natural mountain water flowing through the Lava Caves provides a soothing meditative sound, subtle but distinct, continuous but definitely running in the background.”
“Why, that’s a definite positive in terms of water, Jasper Kitten,” growled Chris, low and slow.
“Correct, Chris. Please, Critters. Proceed,” urged Jasper Kitten.
They settled Rufus Sub One Hundred into a comfortable sitting position and Jasper Kitten stepped forward with the pocket watch.
“Please, focus on the movement of the pocket watch,” advised Jasper Kitten.
“Of course, Jasper Kitten, I am well versed in doing so,” agreed Rufus Sub One Hundred. “Would you like me to count backwards from one hundred at this time?”
“Thank you for the question which is quite astute of you, Rufus Sub One Hundred,” mewed Jasper Kitten.
“You’re welcome, Jasper Kitten. I know the drill,” she affirmed.
“When you are ready. Please. Proceed,” mewed Jasper Kitten, setting the pocket watch in motion. “And remember. You. Are. Getting. Very. Very. Sleepy.”
“One hundred, ninety-nine, ninety-eight, ninety-seven,” counted Rufus Sub One Hundred backwards and getting very very sleepy indeed.
Her eyes tracked the pocket watch while Jasper Kitten continued to swing it before her and she nodded off into a deep deep state of hypnosis.
“What is your name?” asked Jasper Kitten.
“My name is Rufus Sub One Hundred,” she intoned.
“And where do you live?” he continued to guide her, his mew calm and level.
“I live at the Bio Lab Pacific Northwest By Northwest,” she replied flatly.
“What is your natural coat pattern?” probed Jasper Kitten.
“Black long hair,” she described, matter of fact.
“What have you been programmed to do?” he probed further.
“To operate heavy vehicular machinery in the snow and pursue the J Kitten, Sleuth & Purveyor of Bright Shiny Objects Detective Agency,” she confirmed.
“Were you programmed for any other specific tasks?” Jasper Kitten deepened his line of questioning.
“Yes,” she gave a dull purr.
“What would that be?” he specified.
“To apprehend the Rufus Subsets from One to Ninety-nine and return them to the Bio Lab,” she claimed.
“And have you been successful?” pursued Jasper Kitten in the interrogative.
“Negative.”
“And will you try again to thwart the efforts of the J Kitten, Sleuth & Purveyor of Bright Shiny Objects Detective Agency?” Jasper Kitten felt a stress and a strain with the pressing inquisitive question, but maintained the neutrality in his voice lest he disrupt Rufus Sub One Hundred from her trance.
“Negative.”
“Will you try again to apprehend and return the Rufus Subsets, One to Ninety-nine, to the Bio Lab?” he continued, vigilant.
“Negative.”
“Will you try to get behind the wheel of heavy vehicular machinery in the snow again, specifically?” he mewed.
“No.”
“And when you say no, does no mean no?” he pressed.
“Yes.”
“Will you try to get behind the wheel of a vehicle of any kind, in any terrain, in general again?” he inquired.
“No.”
Chris made a discreet tap of a toebean on the confiscated key to the snowplow which was in his secure possession. A wave of relief washed over him as Jasper Kitten continued to guide the hypnosis.
“Rufus Sub One Hundred, do you know why all of the labcats were turned Orange?” Jasper Kitten shifted his line of questioning, seeking a motive that spoke beyond appearances.
“To hide in plain sight,” she replied.
“Why, Rufus Sub One Hundred? Why hide in plain sight?” he asked.
“It is a well kept secret,” she said, her voice trailing off.
“Is it a genetic research experiment only?” he queried.
“No.”
“Do you know what else it is?” he kept his tone even, his sense of alarm tamped down.
“It is connected to something bigger than the Bio Lab. It starts there, but it doesn’t end there,” she indicated and then lapsed into silence, but her eyes danced with fear, a whisker twitched to the right and to the left.
“All is calm, Rufus Sub One Hundred,” Jasper Kitten increased the incremental swing of the pocket watch. “You are still very very sleepy.”
She gazed off into the distance again and her body went slack.
Jasper Kitten’s success in keeping Rufus Sub One Hundred hypnotized came at the cost of his own sense of comfort. He furrowed his brow out of concern for a criminal enterprise that was still beyond his grasp, taunting him, eluding him, the cracks in the case still not wide enough to open open open.
“Who else is involved?” Jasper Kitten asked, monitoring his own patience, waiting for the response.
“I. Don’t. Know,” she uttered in her hypnotic monotone.
“Thank you for answering these questions, Rufus Sub One Hundred,” complimented Jasper Kitten, yet disappointed that he seemed unable to achieve any further investigative insight as he deprogrammed her.
“You’re welcome,” she said, rote.
“Rufus Sub One Hundred, I am going to count to three and swat the air with my white gloved paw. You will then wake up. Please, nod in the affirmative if you understand me,” he directed.
“Yes, Jasper Kitten,” she gave a slow nod, her eyes fixed on the distance, vacant.
“When you wake up, you will have a name of your own choosing and not a number. You will be free of all control on the part of the Experimental Experimenter and each and every staff scientist associated with these dastardly deeds. Furthermore, you will be reunited with the Rufus Subset Ginormous Group and continue on your domestic journey toward finding your Furever Home,” he explained.
She nodded again, quiet, her focus now riveted on Jasper Kitten.
“Rufus Sub One Hundred, you are no longer a labcat,” confirmed Jasper Kitten. “You. Are. Free.”
He readied his white gloved paw.
“One,” mewed Jasper Kitten. “Two. Three.”
Jasper Kitten’s white gloved paw arced past Rufus Sub One Hundred. She blinked and snapped to attention.
“How do you feel?” asked Jasper Kitten, pocketing the watch.
“I feel remarkably revived, Jasper Kitten,” she replied and blinked again, once and then twice.
“And would you like to tell us your name?” he asked.
The Critter Detectives were all ears. They leaned in while she let the question sink into her new found awareness. Her eyes narrowed and then flew open wide.
“My name is Charlotte,” she announced.
The Ginormous Group stirred across the cave and purrs floated and resonated in the vast space of the Lava Caves, stirring Charlotte to look at the sleeping Rufus Subsets. Her eyes misted over and a purr caught in her throat.
“Jasper Kitten?” she asked, her voice breaking.
“Yes, Charlotte?” replied Jasper Kitten.
“May I please join my friends now?” she requested.
“Of course, you don’t even need to ask,” he asserted.
“But what if they don’t recognize me? What if they don’t remember me? Or worse yet, what if they are suspicious of me for doing the bidding of the Experimental Experimenter?” she cried softly, overcome with doubt.
“Fear not, Charlotte. We will escort you and reintroduce you to them with all assurances that you are a part of the group, fully deprogrammed and no longer brainwashed,” consoled Jasper Kitten.
He looked to Star and Jojo and orchestrated the necessary next steps for a smooth transition, returning Charlotte to her companions.
“Canine Unit, please proceed ahead of us and alert Officers Clementine and Petal to stand down from their watch of the Ginormous Group. Their efforts in the line of duty are very much appreciated, highly regarded and have not gone unnoticed,” proclaimed Jasper Kitten. “Chris and I will follow you slowly slowly with Charlotte to accommodate her return to a normal state of consciousness. My understanding of the awakening from a hypnotic state, especially as it pertains to deprogramming from mind control, from brainwashing, is that an extra allowance of time for physical movement may be necessary.”
“Copy,” barked Jojo. He and Star headed over to the sleeping Ginormous Group and alerted Clementine and Petal according to Jasper Kitten’s instructions.
Fiona stirred in her deep deep sleep and awoke to the presence of the J Kitten, Sleuth & Purveyor of Bright Shiny Objects Detective Agency. She startled and sat up, confused, but then calmed herself as she remembered the rescue operation and the safe haven of the Lava Caves. Her gaze zeroed in on Charlotte who stood flanked by Jasper Kitten and Chris.
“It can’t be,” whispered Fiona and blinked hard. “I must still be dreaming. It can’t be you.”
Fiona and Charlotte stepped out of earshot of the sleeping Rufus Subsets who slumbered on after their long journey in the night.
“Hello, Fiona,” mewed Charlotte. “It’s been a very long time. I’m still Orange, so I wasn’t sure if you’d recognize or remember me.”
“I would know you anywhere even though I haven’t seen you since we were kittens. How on Earth did you find us?” she leapt forward and held Charlotte in a fast and furry embrace.
“It’s a long story,” cried Charlotte, “a very long story.”
“And we’d have to count to one hundred, wouldn’t we?” calculated Fiona. “You were taken away from us, but you’ve always been a part of the group.”
“Fur sure,” cried Charlotte.
They stood back from one another, still paw to paw, toebean to toebean as their disbelief melted into relief and reunion.
Chris dished up a bowl of kibble and held it out for Charlotte who realized the depths of her hunger as the aroma wafted toward her keen olfactory senses.
“Do I detect a growl of a gastronomic nature?” queried Chris, offering a spoon to Charlotte as she clasped and grasped the bowl.
“Thank you, Chris. Thank you very much,” and Charlotte chowed down. After the last bite, she set her spoon in the bowl and groomed herself and then yawned.
“Charlotte,” mewed Jasper Kitten, “it is quite natural at this time that you are getting very very sleepy.”
“It scares me so, Jasper Kitten,” she cried and stifled a yawn. “I’m afraid to go back to what I was! I’m afraid to go to sleep! Do you need to deprogram me again?”
“Please, do not be afraid. A real sleep, a true sleep, will be quite restorative for your system. You have been through an ordeal of unimaginable manipulation and external control. However. Now is the time for your recuperation. Your place with your companions is right here. Rest assured,” consoled Jasper Kitten and tread over to the sleeping group with Charlotte.
Fiona sidled up to her, too, and they settled down together. Soon, in the stillness of the Lava Caves, they were fast asleep along with their whole group and a steady rhythm, breath by breath, came over them as one.
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
Poetry with Pets
Deep hypnotic state
Intone in a monotone
How to free your mind
By Jasper Kitten, Chris and Jojo
Critters! Catch up on all of the mystery and adventure with The Case of the Jumping Gene! Book Number 3! Brought to you by the J Kitten, Sleuth & Purveyor of Bright Shiny Objects Detective Agency!
Chap. 1🐾Chap. 2🐾Chap. 3🐾Chap. 4🐾Chap. 5🐾Chap. 6🐾Chap. 7🐾Chap. 8🐾Chap. 9
The Case of the Bowled Over Bowler Hat! Book Number 2!
Chap. 1🐾Chap. 2🐾Chap. 3🐾Chap. 4🐾Chap. 5🐾Chap. 6🐾Chap.7🐾Chap. 8🐾Chap. 9🐾Chap. 10🐾Chap. 11🐾Chap. 12🐾Chap. 13🐾Chap. 14🐾Chap. 15🐾Chap. 16🐾Chap. 17🐾Chap. 18🐾Chap. 19🐾Chap. 20
The Case of the Misplaced Priority Envelope! Book Number 1!
Chap. 1🐾Chap. 2🐾Chap. 3🐾Chap. 4🐾Chap. 5🐾Chap. 6🐾Chap. 7🐾Chap. 8🐾Chap. 9🐾Chap. 10🐾Chap. 11🐾Chap. 12🐾Chap. 13🐾Chap.14🐾Chap. 15🐾Chap. 16🐾Chap. 17🐾Chap. 18🐾Chap. 19🐾Chap. 20
The Case of the Misplaced Priority Envelope
Love the poem, it fits perfectly with "A real sleep, a true sleep, will be quite restorative for your system." as in, true sleep can free one's mind, too! I love that Charlotte chose Charlotte as her name. There's a bit of tenderness in that. 😊
I'm finding it very touching hearing the names they choose for themselves, even if this is a work of fiction. Thanks, Heidi and critters, and I hope you all have a good week ahead. I look forward to the next chapter.